New York Jets quarterback what-ifs since Super Bowl - ESPN

CLEVELAND — Fifteen years ago, the New York Jets introduced Brett Favre before a preseason game at a cramped news conference in the bowels of Cleveland Browns Stadium. There wasn't much pomp, but the circumstances were profound. An overnight trade had brought their quarterback savior.

The Jets are back in Cleveland on Thursday night, this time with a new savior. Like Favre, Aaron Rodgers won't suit up for the Jets game against the Browns (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video). He can't play because of an injury, but his presence provides hope for better days. Favre evoked the same feelings in 2008, but he fell short of expectations because of a torn tendon (biceps) that hampered his play. Result: no playoffs.

Rodgers, too, suffered a torn tendon (Achilles) and no playoffs.

Rodgers will return in 2024, but the juxtaposition of him and Favre — two Green Bay Packers legends — shines a light on the Jets and their perpetual search for quarterback happiness. Cleveland — aka the Factory of Sadness — is the perfect backdrop and the perfect opponent.

The Browns have cycled through more quarterbacks than the Jets over the years, and — wouldn't you know it? — they're on the verge of making the playoffs with one of the Jets' castoffs. Joe Flacco, 38, the Browns' fourth starter this season, is being hailed as an off-the-couch, into-the-huddle legend. He was available when Rodgers was hurt in Week 1, but the Jets thought they had it covered with Zach Wilson.

When it comes to the Jets and quarterbacks, it's always what if? What if they hadn't passed on Dan Marino in the 1983 draft? What if their plan to draft Favre (yeah, him again) hadn't unraveled at the last second in 1991? What if Peyton Manning had turned pro prior to the 1997 draft, when